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Friday, March 31, 2017

Diana Smith is one of my favorite guests for Happily Ever Rushed. I love her ideas and articles. This one is about creating an Open Floor Design. These are some really great ideas. Thanks Diana!

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In today’s world, a modern home is almost incomplete without an open floor plan. This kind of home design allows you to merge several rooms into one which serves more than one purpose. In order to help you create one of the most inspiring and relaxing atmospheres in your home by introducing an open floor design, we have singled out six tips for you to follow.

Make the space functional

Start off by taking a look at your kitchen and how you can open it up. For instance, you can merge it with a dining area and a fireplace to create a large space for relaxing and eating. Keep in mind that everything depends on what your needs are and how much free space you actually have. Therefore, we recommend that you try to use one large room for as many purposes as possible.

Separate areas with colours

The easiest way to separate different parts of the room is to paint them in various colours. This allows you to customize your interior any way you want. The best part is that you can include your whole family on the project so that everyone can pick a colour for their favourite area. For more colour suggestions, you can always consult Pantone’s colour predictions if you want to find out which ones are a hit this season. Moreover, this doesn’t exclusively apply to the walls ‒ you can separate areas by choosing different colours for your rugs, sofas, cupboards, shelves, and other furniture pieces.

Curtains

If you are looking for an easy and practical way to create an intimate atmosphere in some areas, then we strongly recommend choosing curtains for your room design. If you don’t want them to stand out from the rest of the room, we suggest opting for a monochromatic style. On the other hand, you can go for wild and funky designs if you don’t mind having this part of the room stand out from the rest.

Use furniture to create boundaries

Sometimes, a carefully positioned sofa in a certain part of the room is enough to create a visual boundary between different areas. However, most sofas don’t have an attractive back, which means that you’ll have to improvise. We recommend hiding the unattractive parts of the sofa with a small table where you can place some accessories. We suggest putting some scented candles, pictures of your family, or potpourri on the table.

Doors

Incorporating doors into your open room plan is a good way to create some privacy when you need it. If you opt for sliding doors, you can create unnoticeable transitions between areas. Depending on your needs, you can leave them open and enjoy your spacious room, or you can close them if you want some quiet time for yourself. Furthermore, if you are looking for a perfect option for your terrace or backyard, bi fold doors are recommended. These doors are large and offer protection during rain and cold weather, but at the same time they let in all the natural daylight.

Light fixtures

Another way to separate different parts of the room is to incorporate different light fixtures into different areas. This way, you will make sure that some parts of the room are accentuated. You can do that by using elegant pendant lights, carefully positioned standing lamps, or small table lamps. Make sure to experiment with different lighting arrangements until you create the perfect one for your open floor plan.

As we can see, it doesn’t take much effort to create a unique custom-designed open floor plan. All it takes is careful planning and some imagination.

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Diana is back today on the blog sharing some great trips on Preparing Your Home before a Trip. Diana always has a great ideas and this one is right up there! Thanks Diana, can't wait to have you as guest again.

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Going on a summer trip? Or maybe a three-month long cruise? While your head is already on a sunny beach in the Caribbean, you shouldn’t forget that you’re leaving your home for some time and that you should prepare it the same way you’re preparing yourself.

Pets and plants

You would probably never just leave your dog or goldfish without arranging for their care. You can put dogs, cats or larger animals in an animal daycare while you’re away. It might be a bit pricey, but you can rest assured that they will be in safe hands, fed, taken care of, and, most importantly – won’t be alone. This might not be an option for smaller animals, but a good thing is that you can place them into a friend’s or family member’s care. Have them visit your house every day to feed the fish or the hamster, or bring them over to them.

The same goes for plants. You can invest in a remote watering system and set it so it drips water slowly during your vacation, or you can leave the job to a human. If you have a lot of plants that need daily care, someone should come over to water them; but for just one or two important ones, you can take them over to a friend with detailed instructions on how to care for them.

Safety first

No matter what neighborhood you live in, a break in is always a possibility. To minimize the risks, you should take a few steps to secure your home. Check and, if necessary, upgrade your alarm system. Make sure it’s working and that it will notify not only you, who may be a thousand miles away, but also a close friend or a family member and the police. Make sure that you put out a yard sign or sticker of your security company, so potential unwanted visitors will know to stay away. If you want to go the extra step, you can install cameras into your home that can give you and your security company a live feed of what’s going on inside. Having a system that turns your lights on and off periodically to make it look like the house isn’t empty is a big investment, but if you think it is what will keep your house safe, then it’s a good one to make.

Make sure you don’t pull all the curtains and close all the blinds – you wouldn’t want to give a potential thief the comfort of privacy, would you?

House sitting

You don’t have to go through all the trouble of preparing your home for your leave – just don’t leave it empty! House sitting became a booming business in Australia, for both safety and practical reasons; so, finding somebody who will take care of your home and your pets while you’re gone shouldn’t be a problem. If you live in Victoria, you’ll be spoiled for choice when looking up options for house sitting in Melbourne. Alternatively, if you don’t feel comfortable with strangers in your home, call in a favor! Ask a family member or a friend to either stay at your place for the duration of your trip or visit daily to feed your pets and make sure everything is okay. Many people will welcome the opportunity to live in a new place for a little while, and you’ll save some money too.

Whether your trip is long or short, far away or to the next city over, if you follow these few steps you can rest assured that you have done everything in your power to make sure that when you get home everything will be just the way you left it.

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Lauren is sharing her ideas on event catering. Cocktail party, baby shower, wedding. If you are in need of catering these are some good thoughts on how to have a successful event.

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Whatever be the occasion – a birthday party, anniversary, fundraising gala, wedding reception or product launch, the food that is served is of prime importance. It is one factor that can make the event a marvelous success or else ruin the entire event. This is where you need to hire an event catering services to make sure that everything is carried out in a smooth and efficient way, and all the guests attending the event and happy and satisfied.

To get an efficient event catering company to cater for your event you need to ensure the following:

The caterer should have a tasting menu where you can get to sample the food that they will be offering in the event. The quality and the presentation of the food should also be experienced during this phase.

You need to make sure that the event catering services or company meets your specific standard per the occasion and genuine desire to please the person with regards changes in the menu if needed and offering a menu to match the price.

The catering company should be able to offer references and they should also be able to inform you of events that they will be catering for; these details will give you a lead to speak to the past and future clients about the services.

The event catering company should know about the food, the ingredients which go into each of the dishes, where he or she procures the raw material from, so on and so forth.

If they are familiar with the venue, then there is an added advantage as they will know the do's and don’ts and the layout of the venue.

In addition to getting the right caterer on board and hiring the right event catering services, there are a few other important things you need to consider as finding out more details about caterers from family and friends and the potential pitfalls one should avoid. The choices should be narrowed down to companies that not only meet your budget but also one that does not have a history of bad reviews, ratings, violations and complaints. The budget should be decided before you even think of employing the caterer and the caterer should be informed well so that he or she can work backwards and tailor make the menu as per the amount that is available.

Based on the kind of event, the menu options should be chosen. If it is a picnic, a 3-course meal will be totally inappropriate. If it is a formal dinner, sandwiches will be totally out of place, so on and so forth. So, you need to make sure that everything is appropriate per the occasion.

The size of the staff is important when hiring the event catering company. The size will be dependent on the type of food service – buffet, sit down service etc. There are also caterers which offer bar tending services and they have staff that can handle the bar as well.

It is also good to check if there are complaints or issues with regards the catering undertaken by the caterer in the past. Only those caterers that are licensed and do not have complaints or violations should be chosen.

When you want to narrow down caterers, you need to also consider the cost of their service. The quote should be specific and include all the fees, staff cost, taxes in addition to the food costs. There should be no hidden surprises.

The contract for event catering should always be signed with specifics mentioned including clauses in case the contractor is unable to provide the service and the contract should also mention the threshold that will be charged should there be lesser number than anticipated guests.

Author Bio:

I am Lauren Bracy, a qualified blogger. Here you can see my skills which gives you small ideas on understanding all the concepts with different themes. I love to write blog on different topics, like: food, health, home décor, Automotive, Business, Lifestyle, Finance, Flowers etc.

Monday, March 27, 2017

Oliva is here today on the blog to be a guest host - she is sharing some tips on hiring a proffesional electrician - Please enjoy her tips.

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Most of the people do not pay attention while hiring an electrician and choose them without any thought. This is definitely wrong as electrical wiring, installation, and maintenance require a lot of expertise and only quality electrician will be able to accomplish this task well. Apart from this, you can look forward to timely completion as well as hassle-free experience. There is no denial in the fact that seeking the help of a professional is definitely fruitful. It is a good thought to take their assistance. However, not everyone you hire will be an experienced and worth relying. That is why, we have compiled the list of a few tips that you can keep in mind while finding someone who is competent enough and offer top-notch services.

Electrician

Certified – The most important thing to look into is that whether the electrician is certified or not. A certified electrician will not only offer services of the highest quality, as well as the standard, but you can enjoy a seamless experience too. This is the reason that one should hire a professional, who is certified as you can rest assure that his services will be excellent. Therefore, check out his profile before you hire him.

Desired skills – Though, an electrician should have all the necessary skills to do his work, but apart from that, his way of communicating with the people should be excellent. He should be able to solve the problem of the clients and offer the right solutions. Make sure that the professional you hire is capable enough to handle any type of complex problem and fixit in the right manner. He should be active enough to grasp things quickly and integrate them in his work.

Updated with new techniques – Even in this field, new technologies come and outdated ones need to be replaced with the newer one. That is why the electrician need to stay updated with the same. Only then, he will be able to improvise the working and make sure that the best methodologies and tools are used to complete the work with expertise.

Safety knowledge – Make sure the professional has enough knowledge on safety and ways to deal with the dangerous situations. A professional must be familiar with the safety codes. So, that the work can be carried out smoothly and things move in the right direction.

Electrician

Time management – A good professional is someone who knows how to manage the time and ensure that everything is completed within the deadline. That is why it become necessary to ensure that your professional is committed towards his work and complies by the time deadlines too. You do not want to hire someone, who delays the work and completes it at his own will.

Affordable – The services you hire should be affordable enough to suit your budget. No matter what kind of professional electrician you are hiring for the work, his charges should suit the budget or else it can prove to be an expensive affair to you. Do find out the cost of the different services, or get a rough estimate to get an idea about the total cost of the work. In this way, you will be able to plan out your budget wisely.

Get referrals – In order to make the right choice, you can get referrals from friends, family, and relatives, as it will help you to opt the best professional. In addition, you can know more about the service quality, price range, etc. thus, leading to a great decision. So, you can make use of the referrals too in deciding which professional is ideal for the service.

Hence, by keeping in mind the above-mentioned tips can help you get the quality electrician service.

Sunday, March 26, 2017

Thanks Joseph for the great content on Bathroom Benchtops - What a great idea to add some beautiful items to your bathroom.

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Tips on Selecting the Best Bathroom Benchtops

If you are seeking a bathroom countertop – generally known as a vanity top – seek something that can easily bear acetone-based liquids, alcohol, cosmetics, toothpaste, soap, and water. Changing a benchtop is an easy job because you do not require changing the entire cabinet if you don’t wish to.

Things to Keep in Mind While Seeking Bathroom Benchtops

When you consider everything the bathroom countertop has to manage, you'll need to know the significance of having a surface which is easy to clean and strong enough. Things employed on the countertop that can significantly affect the duration of a countertop consist of dyes, moisture, cleaning products, cosmetics, toiletries, hair straighteners and hairdryers and so much more. Besides a sensible bathroom benchtop, you also need something that seems good with the entire decoration of the bathroom.

What are the choices for Bathroom Benchtops

Some of the most common options that are available in the market are –

Marble and Granite: Though granite and marble are unparalleled for their splendor, these standard materials deserve careful consideration. Also, marble blots easily, and granite removes most marks and blemishes, except grease, particularly if the granite is open. If a strong stone sheet for your benchtop is not affordable for you, then you can think about choosing marble or granite.

Engineered Stone: It is also called as reconstituted stone or composite stone. These countertops are manufactured by mixing glass, marble, granite, or quartz with a polymer resin. Engineered stone is defiant to acid, scratching, staining, and chipping.

Solid Surface: These types of benchtops provide most of the benefits of a stone with some disadvantages. Shed from an acrylic-resin that comprises crushed stone sometime—mainly quartz—solid-surface objects require less preservation and are very resilient. Heavy falling and Intense heat objects can lead to damage, however minor burns, abrasions, and scratches can be fixed with good quality of sandpaper. The tools and methods required for this object are same as to those needed for woodworking. But, some makers need that a skilled professional set up their materials.

Laminate: It is a good option for those who have limited budget but it is also considered as a versatile option. But, remember that would not be a good choice for damp areas because, dampness may lead the laminate to raise over time.

Wood: As a benchtop surface, wood is easy to install, versatile, and attractive option. But, it is particularly susceptible to water dent, as well as its porosity makes it hard to stay clean. All softwood and hardwood objects have to be well conserved with marine or polyurethane varnish. Special attention should be taken to close around the rims of plumbing furniture so that standing water cannot go in and lead the wood to decay. Maple-butcher block is a famous benchtop material in the bathroom and kitchens. Accessible in different widths, butcher block is thicker as compared to vanity tops; therefore, for installing it you may require modifying your plumbing connections.

Tile: Since, it is good for both walls and floors, ceramic-tile makes a durable, and attractive surface for bathroom benchtops. It comes with different textures, patterns, and shades. Grout lines that catch dust and support mold are a big setback, though new sealers and grouts help ease these conditions to some level. Obtaining professional outcomes with the tile is tough, for people who prefer to use it as benchtop. A slightly asymmetrical look can be apt for unglazed quarry, and rustic tile, however many other tile ranges insist greater meticulousness. With the use of pregrouted tile-sheets, or mosaic tile sheet on a mesh backing makes it simpler to space them equally.

Joseph Webb is an excellent blogger and philosophers, His keen observation to provide useful information which helps readers to get more ideas. He can be found on Google+ and on Twitter as @aussiesmag.

Over the time, designer bathrooms are becoming a fashion or we can say a trend. A great amount of care is taken while designing the bathrooms and you can find designer bathrooms in all the extravagant and exotic houses. There are different types of designs that is used in the bathrooms, which depends upon the homeowner and the suitability in the bathroom. Now, every small thing is considered while designing the bathroom right from the walls, flooring, mirrors, and choosing the right kind of basins and bathtubs. Much thought is given to aesthetics while designing the bathrooms.

So, the question is when so much time, energy, and money is spent on the design of the bathroom, why can’t homeowners take steps to preserve it and prevent it from getting spoiled. Most of the time, homeowner neglects waterproofing in the bathroom, it is considered a small and unimportant thing. However, neglecting this small thing, gradually, leads to spoiling of the overall design of the bathroom and constant exposure to the moisture can lead to leakage.

There are many steps and options that one should consider while bathroomwaterproofing. The most important thing is to consult an expert. Mostly, homeowner neglects bathroom problems as a small problem, and later regrets it. It is because that small problem has spoiled the design of the bathroom. Experts are the right person to identify the problems and they have a better solution rather than temporary remedies. They are the best to plug these bathroom leaks.

The common ways to plug the leaks are – fixing the plumbing lines, sealing up the cracks in the tiles and on the walls, and lastly fixes the right fixtures for sanitary ware. This process is very simple by only identifying the root cause of the problem. Bathroom waterproofing is now easy with wide varieties of material available in the market.

Here are some common areas where most of the time waterproofing is needed

Pipelines that opens near the wall and the floors

Most of the concealed pipes such as PVC pipes and pipe joints

The tile grouts where the tiles are not properly joined

Shower waterproofing, wash basins, and bathtubs

Jambs on the bathroom doors

Major reasons for leakage are lack of the awareness in people about bathroom waterproofing and lack of knowledge about selecting the right product for waterproofing. A common mistake made while constructing a bathroom is that a proper slope isn’t provided which leads to accumulation of water near the output point which adds to the leakage. This dampens the wall and leads to accumulation of algae and dirt between the tile joints. If this problem is still neglected it will further lead to the growth of fungi, which will be harmful for the house members and residents living below that floor. This situation takes almost 15 days of repairing and the cost for repairing is very high.

Advantages of bathroom waterproofing

The major problem is of water seepage and addressing it with some solution as soon as possible is mandatory. Waterproofing prevents infiltration of water into the house. It also helps to contain humidity and it protects from damages caused by humidity and water exposure. Bathroom waterproofing enhances up the market value by adding up the life to the design, which remains the same even after years.

Hence, waterproofing over infiltration, projections, and tile joints using good quality materials will give leakage free bathrooms and toilets and this is a cost-effective solution. Thus, a systematic and planned approach in curbing the leaks will provide healthy and comfortable living conditions in the future.

Jack Louis is here to share some tips on Spotting Affordable Plumbing and Roofing Service. Check out these great ideas. Thanks Jack for the great post.

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We know the importance of a plumber in our daily life. A small leak in a pipe, or an unexpected complaint in the geyser, a clogging in the sink, an unexpected block in the sewage line – any of these can make your day worst. Such things happen at the most unexpected, inconvenient, and of course, the most unwanted times. There was a time, local freelancers used to help to solve these issues. Nowadays, it is difficult to identify plumbers and roof repairers with required caliber. This is where you need the most affordable plumbing and roofing services.

Different Types of Plumbing and Roofing Services

Plumbing and Roofing Service team undertake any of the following jobs:

Designing and layout of pipelines

Installation of plumbing systems

Detection of leaks in the pipes, faucets, and sewage lines

Periodical inspection of pipes and fittings

Periodical cleaning of the water tanks

Installation of garbage disposal plant

Periodical preventive maintenance

Changing valves and other accessories

Periodical inspection of roofs

Periodical maintenance of roofs

Anti-Discoloration treatment for roof

Fungus and algae removal

Repainting of roofs

Leak prevention of roofs

Prevention and repair of gutter system clogs

Wind damage repair

Benefits of Approaching professional Plumbing and Roofing Services

Expertise: These are not amateurs or freelancers. A professional plumbing and roofing service would be a team of experienced and qualified professionals, who can spot the problems quickly. They provide instant solutions. Their experience in the field helps them to identify the problem accurately and faster than that of the amateurs.

Warranty: Normally, such professional offer warranty on their services. Hence, even in the worst scenario of having a recurrence of the issue, you can get it rectified at a lower cost, sometimes, for no cost at all.

Latest Technology: Unlike amateurs or freelancers, professional plumbing and roofing service team would be updated with the latest technology and tools, which would help them to perform the repairs faster and professionally.

How to identify an affordable and reliable Plumbing and Roofing Service?

With the intensity of competition and advertisements, it has become difficult to identify the right and most affordable plumbing and roofing service. Not all services would guarantee premium quality. Even then, reliability is another important issue. So how to identify the best out of rest? Some tips are given below:

Qualification: Check the qualification of the team members. Ensure the plumbers or other service personnel of the team possess a formal education and specialized knowledge in the plumbing area.

Ask for License: License is the one-word answer for professionalism, authenticity, and reliability. A valid license gives legal protection, as the whereabouts of the team members are documented.

Pricing: Before assigning the work to one team, remember to take at least two to three quotations from various teams. This will help to get the best price and give time to negotiate.

References: Ask the service providers to give one or two references from their clientele. Does a reference check and try to get as many details possible with respect to work quality, promptness of service, behavior of technicians, customer service, etc.

Association Membership: Give priority to teams having membership in workgroup associations. In case of disputes, the associations can be approached for settlement or arbitrations.

Agreements: No matter how appealing the advertisements are, make sure an agreement is executed and the terms and conditions are laid therein. Give importance to the payment clause and the scope of services – the services covered as per the agreement. This would help avoid unnecessary disputes and provide legal protection.

AMCs: It is better to sign an Annual Maintenance Contract on plumbing and roofing service. Since majority of the complaints happen at the most unpredictable time, an AMC could fetch you the most prompt service, as they give priority to their clients with AMC.